Signs and Symptoms of Hip Implant Failure or Injury

With all the medical advances that are made year after year, some you would never expect. The fact that the majority of hip implants being used today (and over the last decade) have high failure rates and risk of injury is simply unacceptable. While many manufacturers of these dangerous products have recalled their faulty hip implants, many are still suffering the consequences.

Manufacturers of medical devices have an obligation to provide patients with a safe device. When they recognize that there are any defects or hazards associated with their product they must promptly respond to and rectify the situation by alerting patients, doctors, and the proper government agencies.

Recognizing the Signs Of Hip Failure

It is important that, if you have received a hip implant, you are able to recognize signs that it may be failing or if it is causing serious injury such as cobalt poisoning. With regards to a faulty or failing implant, you will experience some discomfort in the following weeks, but persistent discomfort isn’t part of the process, your body is supposed to heal.

Symptoms of a bad implant include:

Chronic or severe pain in the hip area

Inflammation or swelling

Loosening of the implant

Fracture in the surrounding bones

In addition to failure of the implant, there are other medical complications that can arise. When the implants feature a ball and joint that is made of metal, they can rub together and create metal flakes. If these bits of metal get into your blood stream you can develop serious issues such as heart problems, thickening of the blood, and thyroid problems.

Heavy Metal Poisoning From Defective Hips

Recognizing the symptoms of cobalt poisoning (see here) is imperative as the sooner you detect it the better.

Cobalt poisoning symptoms include:

Malfunctioning of the nervous system

Hearing difficulties

Rash

Vision issues

Deterioration of heart muscle

Mental issues

Low thyroid hormone

It has been demonstrated with several of the hip implant manufacturers that they did not act in a timely manner to rectify the dangerous situation created by their products. In fact, with the DePuy ASR hip implants as many as 93,000 patients received the device, but the company did not keep adequate records to notify each person—thousands of lawsuits are expected with these implants.

Even if you do not believe you have a faulty hip implant you need to get checked because there is no way of knowing for sure if you received one of the recalled products. If you or someone you love has been injured as the result of a faulty hip implant speak with a skilled Pennsylvania Depuy ASR hip implants lawyers today.